Rose's Story- the Darkness Dragoon (part 1/10)
by Queen of the Faeries
Summary: The beginning, it's a prologue more than anything else. I also posted this on Miscellaneous RPG before there was a Section for LofD. i love this game. Please review.


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ROSE'S STORY: THE DARK DRAGOON

PROLOGUE

I stand at the edge of the cliff, glaring down at the forest that stretches on in front of me. A town borders the edge, a quiet dirt-road town with stone buildings. It is burning; I can see the smoke. The Sandorans must have attacked the village, for some reason that I cannot figure out.

However, my attention is not focused on my surroundings. I am searching for the Dragon.

Dragons have occupied the planet of Endiness since 11,000 years ago. I have been observing them all my life, and this one is different. Like all Dragons, he has a quick temper and a terrifying wrath. But he is more aggressive, easily angered, preying on even those that do not bother it. An unworthy Master must have influenced him. 

Rocks skitter above me, but I do not flinch. By the soft furry padding of feet and the faint squeaking sounds that I can hear over the roaring of the Dragon, I can tell that it is only a Berserk Mouse, unworthy of my attention.

Where is the Dragon? I think, letting titanium-colored eyes scan the green of the tops of the trees in the forests for the jade Dragon.

Another roar pierces the silence, and the ground shakes. 

I brace my feet against the rock face of the cliff, watching as the Jade Dragon stands up on six feet, resembling an insect more than a Dragon. But he is one of the oldest and most respected. 

"The green-tusked Dragon, Feyrbrand." I mutter to myself, watching as the Dragon tosses its head and roars again.

Movements catch my eye on the forest floor, and there are four shapes in the Dragon's path, unintentionally. As soon as they realize that they are in the very real danger of an annoyed Dragon on the prowl, they run, very wisely.

I frown. They run, except for one, dressed unlike the other Sandoran soldiers. He seems like a commoner, only he is clad in red armor. Who is he and why does he not run from the Dragon?

The mysterious one stares at the Dragon towering over it for several seconds, not stupidly petrified with fear, but with a defiant air around him.

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Run, you fool. You cannot defeat the jade Dragon. I think at him.

As if he can hear me, which is impossible, the red-clad warrior turns and runs down the path below me. 

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The Dragon roars and pursues.

I frown. Why is Feyrbrand like this? Why does he chase after humans who are not bothering him? If I do not intercept now, the human will die. Not that I like humans all that much, in fact, I worry about no one but myself, and with good reason. Why should I care what happens to others?

But this human...there is something different from him.

I leap off the cliff, digging the soles of my feet against the face, sliding down. I use the friction to slow my descent, and I am unafraid. 

Feyrbrand is catching up to the human. 

"Look out!" I yell, pushing my feet off the rock face and diving into the human, knocking him aside behind a large boulder. He struggles, possibly thinking that he is being attacked. I push him against the rock, and he struggles. "Who are you?"

I clamp a hand over his mouth. "Shh." I hiss, and pause dramatically. "If you don't want to die."

The young man stays shut up.

Feyrbrand stops, wondering where his prey has gone, head twisting back and forth. I can feel his hot breath on the back of my neck. He can be poisonous if he wishes, but as of now, he does not breathe out venom.

The red-clad human is not stupid. He crouches by the boulder, keeping himself flat and small as possible. I do the same, trying to shrink my tall frame. It will not bother me if the Dragon discovers me, but the human I cannot protect if Feyrbrand discovers him.

Finally, the jade Dragon thumps off, and I wait until the pebbles do not shake before I stand, dusting myself off.

The red-clad warrior stands as well. "Thank you for saving me." he says, and I finally look at him.

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Oh my gods…

He is as tall as I am, with silky dark blonde hair in several spikes, pulled away from his deep dark eyes by a band of red cloth around his forehead. He wears dark blue jeans, a brown leather belt and brown leather shoes. Red torso armor that extends on his shoulders and left arm, stopping at the knuckles and also red knee plates. His right arm is strong but slender, unarmored except for the brown leather glove with the fingertips cut off. His hand is closed around a long-bladed sword with a red and gold hilt. A well-crafted sword, I note with dull interest, a strong weapon. Overall, he does not seem too rich, is devastatingly gorgeous, an above-average fighter, and has enough brains to survive.

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But those eyes...Oh gods, could it be him? He looks so much like him... so much that it makes my heart ache. But it cannot be him. It cannot.

"What the heck was that?" The warrior asks. By his voice and appearance, he seems a bit over twenty.

"A Dragon." I answer casually.

"A Dragon?!" he repeats in disbelief and awe.

"But it's strange." I continue as if he has not spoken. I toss my hair over my shoulder. "The village could have been destroyed without the Dragon."

"The village?" the man frowns, and then his eyes widen. "Are you talking about Seles?"

I nod. Seles is the village I saw being burned earlier.

"Then those guards must have been...!" he leaps over the boulder and begins running down the dirt path. 

"There won't be anything left by now." I call after him.

"Seles is my village!" he yells back.

As he leaves, the dark violet choker that hangs around my neck begins to glow, creating a star-like brilliance around me. Far away, I can see the red pendant that he wore glow as well, with the same star shape.

I frown, dark-gray eyes widening. "Oh my god...? That man must have been a...no, that would be too coincidental... or would it?" 

Tucking the pendant back under my armor, I follow the red-clad warrior.

A few weeks or so has passed. 

I have followed the armored young man stealthily, without being caught. I have listened to his conversations and learned many things about him.

For one thing, his name is Dart, and he is originally from Seles. 

He now travels with two companions. One is a blonde Knight from Basil, our country. He fights with a lance and is noble and chivalrous. He is dressed in white and green with bronze armor, and his name is Lavitz. His late father was a famous knight and Lavitz is the head of the first knighthood of Basil. He just recently escaped from the Hellena Prison with Dart's help. He has become a very good friend with Dart. 

The other is a petite very beautiful young woman of eighteen named Shana. She has been Dart's childhood friend, and fights with a bow and arrow, although her attacks are weak. She is gentle looking, with feather-soft brown hair that frames her face, set with warm brown eyes and a welcoming smile. She is dressed in a white sleeveless vest and white shorts, both of which are hemmed in blue. Bronze armor adorns her neck and shoulders. She is too sweet for her own good. 

They are resting in an abandoned shack right now, and I am on the roof, watching through a hole I created with the tip of my sword, listening.

"Dart, how did you get to Seles?" Shana asks.

"I was swooped down by a Dragon on my way to Seles. I was overwhelmed, and I was sure I couldn't escape from it. But…I was saved by a passing warrior. That's why I am still alive."

Lavitz frowns. "The Dragon is advancing faster than I thought. We must do something or it'll be too late."

The statement hovers in the air, laced with blood and war. There is an awkward silence and Shana shifts uncomfortably before she speaks. 

"So, Dart, tell me about the past five years."

The red-clad warrior sits down in the chair. "After leaving Seles, I started a quest to kill the Black Monster."

My eyebrows fly way up. Amusing...he is after the Black Monster? I shift slightly, trying not to shake dust down.

"Why would you want to kill the Black Monster?" Lavitz asks.

"The Black Monster killed my parents!" Dart says through clenched teeth. "I had two homes. One was in Seles, with you, Shana. And the other one was with my parents. One day eighteen years ago, the Black Monster attacked the village. My parents and I were the only ones that made it out. But Father went back to fight the Black Monster, and Mother went with him. They never came back."

I bite down on my lip, eyes narrowing.

Dart reaches into his shirt and pulls out the red pendant around his neck, almost identical to mine, which is no surprise. Recently they have been in style. But I have had mine for much longer than when the blacksmiths started making them.

"This is the gift my father gave me, all that I have left of him."

I nod once. Yes, that is it...it was no coincidence in the forest then...

I now know that my first instinct was true. He is one of mine.


End file.
